Henderson's Institute for Varied Education
by G.B.Heron
Summary: Who knew those skipped classes would end in expulsion. Forced to a boarding school far from home, Danny must deal with ghosts, villains, portal activity, shifting alliances in the Ghost Zone, and fitting into his new school that has secrets of its own.
1. Prologue

Location: near the Warf, Jump City, Monday September 14

They listened as the now predictable sound of smashing followed by laughter came through the open warehouse doors for the fifth time.

"Well?" asked Robin as the green rat grew into a purple and grey clad green boy.

"New guy!" Beastboy exclaimed which earned a simultaneous hush from Cyborg and me and a pointed glare from Robin. "Chill guys. This bad boy is too busy emptying boxes to hear us." Noticing we were waiting for an elaboration, he started over. "Right. Small blue dude floating around zwish, zoom, cackle." He swung his hands around dramatically. Seeing our incomprehension, "Boxes!"

Sharing a glance with the others, we decided that questions could wait and that we were more likely to have answers after checking things out ourselves. "Okay, flying enemy with telekinesis you guys know the plan. Titans Go!" Robin cried out the catch phrase leaping through the doors, Bo staff already in hand.

I flew through the door, my hands already filled with dark energy. There, in the middle of the dark warehouse, was a short glowing blue man dressed in overalls. He was floating about twenty feet in the air chuckling softly as another box took on a blue hue and began to rise.

Robin was the first to attack with a couple of explosives. Cyborg's sonic cannon followed immediately, but both attacks had hardly any effect. A few feet from his original position, the blue man faced us declaring, "Beware! I am the box ghost!"

Boxes rose into the air surrounded by a slight blue aura and hurtled towards us. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" I cried, halting the boxes. Starfire hurled starbolts, eliciting a cry from the blue man.

More boxes. Only Starfire and I seemed to be able to land any good hits on him. Robin's Bo staff sailed harmlessly through him. Cyborg's cannon only weakly pushed him back. Beastboy couldn't even touch him.

"You cannot defeat me! I am the box ghost! You will meet my corrugated wrath!" Annoyed, I encased him in a sphere of black energy. The boxes fell from the sky.

Distantly, I heard my teammates taking in the damage as I stood rigid, focusing entirely on my shield.

"What now?" Beastboy questioned apprehensively. Even I turned to look at Robin as he rubbed his chin muttering thoughtfully.

Finally, "Cyborg, do you have some sort of energy containment device?"

"Nothing on the same level as Raven, or even Starfire. Just some tasers I could link together."

"Raven-" but Robin never got a chance to finish as my shield gave out. A long week of crime fighting had not helped neither had the effort I expended keeping the boxes away from my teammates. Not to be making excuses, but I rarely had to keep up a shield for so long.

"Ha Ha Ha! You cannot hold me! You do not have the cylindrical container." He crowed before he rose _through_ the roof as we raced outside to follow. Just great. None of us willing to give up yet, especially Robin. We pursued the blue man through the city, Starfire and I shooting whenever we could. Robin and Cyborg were tossing back ideas and parts they could put together when I felt something, a slight tingle that washed over my senses and left goosebumps. Instantly, a blue light reminiscent of Cyborg's cannon zapped the criminal. He seemed to stretch like putty into the source of the beam with a final cry of "Beewwwaaarrrreeee!" The presence vanished. On high alert we rounded the edge of the billboard that had hidden the source of the light and saw exactly what I had expected.

Nothing.


	2. Prologue cont

Amity Park- Casper High- Vice Principal Lancer's Office four months earlier

"Assault, food fights, skipping class, insubordination, intimidation, vandalism, destruction of school property... need I go on?" Lancer sighed, shoulders slumping "I am sorry Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, you _can_ appeal the decision, but it is very unlikely that the board will change its mind considering that Daniel has not changed his behavior in two years." he finally looked at the boy.

Danny grit his teeth and anyone paying the slightest bit of attention would have seen his blue eyes flash green, but Lancer had turned back to the jumpsuited parents, gauging their reactions before leaning down to rifle through a drawer. "There _are_ several private schools in the area but I don't think that is the best option for Daniel."

"What do you mean Mr. Lancer? There is nothing wrong with our son!" Maddie grabbed Danny's fist, though both the action and her voice had a touch of doubt. Jack put a calming hand on her shoulder not looking at either the vice principal or his son. He knew to be serious when his family was in danger, but he wasn't sure what he could do now, what he _should_ do. Danny was a Fenton and Fentons didn't get expelled or get D's and C's or miss curfew. What was going on with him?

"I agree with you, Mrs. Fenton" Some emotion entered his voice as he placed a stack of several pamphlets on the desk. "Danny is a good kid. I can always tell, which is why I am saying that neither a traditional private school nor a juvenile rehabilitation center is the best option. I couldn't send him to one anyways, since he doesn't have a criminal record." Danny couldn't help but feel a miserable irony about that last statement. "There is nothing wrong with Daniel in the usual sense of the word," a scoff that could have been laughter was heard though no adult uttered it "-but there _is_ something causing this behavior. However, since he refuses to open up..." a glance was thrown at the downturned head of messy black hair. Lancer sighed and ran his fingers over his scalp. "Let me know what you decide so I can send in the paperwork. Any questions?"

Jazz looked up as her parents and younger brother came out of Lancer's office. They all had a feeling this was no ordinary conference. After calling Sam and Tucker to alert them, Jazz had compared notes and all sides concluded that Danny hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, well… for Danny. Unable to come up with an explanation for the conference, Sam had begun to work on convincing Tucker to check. He had left a backdoor into the school mainframe some time ago. He always refused to use it saying only that it was wrong, an abuse of his power, but this time he agreed. After all, problems for Danny usually meant crises for Amity Park. So Jazz knew what had happened behind the closed door that was now finally, at last, opening.

Danny was the first out. The lost expression he wore as he looked towards her told her that her abilities as an amateur psychologist were about to be tested, again. Well, no one said having a superhero for a little brother was easy. She rose to approach him when her mom came out of the office and firmly laid a black gloved hand on his shoulder. She looked guilty, concerned. Her dad was the last one out, looking like a lost puppy as Maddie led her family to the RV. He was clutching some papers in one hand, crinkling them in his uncertainty. With a sigh, Jazz slipped forward and gently took them from him. Reading pamphlets was better than the awkward silence in the vehicle and someone needed to be the adult to find the best option for her little brother.

The house had not been quiet long when, with the sweep of a clock hand, a blue portal revealed a red eyed, blue ghost in a purple cloak. Clockwork floated over to Jazz's desk, placed a new pamphlet on it and whispered with a smirk "Everything is as it should be."


End file.
